Ongoing research

Thursday, Oct. 17 is Pest Management Day at UC Davis.

Yes, there is life beyond weeds. Anyone who has met Tom Lanini knows he is an avid fisherman, Joe DiTomaso is a chef, and Brad Hanson brews beer BUT did you know... Michelle Le Strange (UCCE Farm Advisor) competes in Ironman events. She's competed in 24 Ironman events and won 14.

University of Florida research Jude Grosser has been working with a new breeding technique that creates tetraploid rootstocks that are showing significantly improved resistance to Huanglongbing. This is done with conventional breeding and is not based on genetic engineering.

What are the indirect effects of parasites and pesticides on pollination service? Ecologist Sandra Gillespie, a postdoctoral researcher in the Neal Williams lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will present the results of her research at a departmental seminar from 12:10 to 1 p.m.

I had the privilege of attending and participating in the Weed Research and Information Center's 2013 Weed Science School. This biannual event proved to be exactly what I was expected...two and a half days packed full of really helpful and useful information and demonstrations.

The question begged for an answer. "It's yellowjacket time again. Does anyone have or recommend a good trap?" A Bay Area beekeeper today sought recommendations from ledEric Mussen, Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

UC IPM's new Pest Alert helps you identify Bagrada bug, an invasive stink bug spreading through western Arizona and southern California causing severe crop, nursery, and landscape losses. In agriculture, Bagrada bug is a pest of cole crops and other mustard family plants.

The California Small Farm Conference is the state's premier gathering of small farmers, agricultural students, farmers market managers and others involved in the small farm industry.

Gary Bender has made his manual on avocado production available on his website. And it's free. Take a look at it to see if you might be missing something in your orchard: http://ucanr.

There's an old saying that "good things come in threes." Well, they also come in twos. When insect photographers manage to get two insects in the same photo, it's a "two-for.